So you've made it: you've been invited to one of McKinsey's "Recruiting
Days." Congratulations! You're halfway through. But now, so many questions come
to your mind: How should I prepare? Has my background really trained me for this
kind of exercise? How should I behave during the interviews? Am I worth it?
Stop. There's no
reason to start panicking. In fact, once you know what it's all about, you
should actually end up looking forward to it. So, to help you feel more
comfortable, here's the truth about interviewing with McKinsey.
Getting to know each other
Before solving a case study, you will invariably spend the first 10 to 15 minutes of each interview talking about yourself. Now that may sound easy, but it can actually prove rather tricky. The following guidelines worked for me, so you may want to consider them.
Be yourself
Remember, if it works out, you'll be working here, with these people, and even if you manage to fake it during the interview, you won't be able to fake it for months on end. We're not testing you; this is just our first chance to understand who you are.
Even little things can count
It may have been a long time ago, and it may have seemed perfectly natural to you, but it may still be well worth mentioning. Think of all the things that you've done where you've demonstrated leadership, or personal drive, or personal impact, or a combination of these.
And do talk about them, pointing out their relevance.
Who's your interviewer?
This is a dialogue, really. So do take the chance to meet your interviewers. They've been with McKinsey for a while, after all, so feel free to ask them questions about their backgrounds, their jobs, their motivation. This is your best chance so far to get to know us from the inside.
